The Reserve Bank has left the official cash
rate on hold at 1.5 percent, the same position it has been in since August 2016
when rates were edged down by 0.25 percentage points. The widely expected move
was already factored in by the markets, despite the fact that inflation was
weaker than expected in third quarter CPI figures. While the Australian economy
is still ticking over, low inflation and slow wages growth are likely to have a
negative influence on consumer confidence and retail sales in the lead up to
Christmas.

Australian cities have always had a low
percentage of apartments compared to urban areas in Europe, Asia and the
Americas. The sprawling nature of Australian cities is the inevitable result of
the suburban Aussie dream, with lack of space one of the key factors leading to
increased demand and unsustainable house price growth. Despite a recent
slowdown, house prices on the Australian east coast continue to rise compared
to apartments, which are forecast to fall over the next three years. Lower
prices for apartments offer new hope to younger Australians who are looking to
buy their first property, and could act as a cultural catalyst bringing
lifestyles changes to Australian cities.

A lot of things stay the same when you
cross the Tasman, but when it comes to internet speeds, Australia and New
Zealand couldn't be further apart. While Australian politicians play the blame
game over the failures of the National Broadband Network (NBN), New Zealand
continues to expand its ultra-fast fibre-based broadband service across the
country. There are many reasons for the striking disparity between the two countries,
including the smaller population and surface area of New Zealand and the deep
structural problems of the NBN.

Up to 60 percent of the human adult body is
water, a highly valuable substance that is used to manufacture
neurotransmitters in the brain, regulate body temperature, and deliver oxygen
throughout the body among countless other jobs. Water serves a number of
essential functions that are vital to the life of every cell in the human body,
from the initial stages of cell production through to body regulation,
protection, and waste management. Each and every day, we must consume a certain
amount of water in order to survive - but just how much do we need?

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies continue
to take the world by storm, with wildly fluctuating values highlighting the
advantages and risks of blockchain technology. Also known as digital or virtual
currencies, cryptocurrencies have no intrinsic value and exist solely inside a
computer network. With over 16 million bitcoins in circulation and growing, and
alternative currencies like Ethereum and Ripple getting bigger all the time,
the future of digital currency will have huge implications for the global
economy and everyone invested in it.